Some parking spaces in Sacramento could be converted into mini-parks called “parklets” under a proposal the City Council will hear Tuesday. The idea is to make the city more pedestrian-friendly.

Parklets are designed to be public spaces where pedestrians can stop, sit, and relax while taking in the activities of the street.

They extend the sidewalk and are often green spaces. Parklets got their start in metered spaces in San Francisco.

“They do a lot of green pieces of it, landscape architects will go in there and put trees and bushes in that are maintained by the business owner," says Matthew Winkler, with Sacramento’s Public Works Department.

They won’t tear up the ground, it’s actually removable. It’s part of a revocable encroachment so it could go back to public parking at any time,” he says.

Winkler is hoping the city will consider a pilot program here.

He says the city could avoid creating a parklet in a place where parking is scarce.

Development and maintenance costs of a parklet would be paid for through private sector sponsorships.